Bylaw a pest to all

Jeremy Deutsch - Kamloops This Week Published: April 23, 2009

A move by city council that could see a ban on cosmetic-pesticide use on residential properties has left groups on both sides of the issue unhappy. Residents pushing for a total ban are upset and argue the city hasn’t accomplished anything with its proposed bylaw, while the pest-management industry is troubled by aspects of the ban, which they say would make their job more onerous. Council has told city staff to draft a bylaw that would ban the use of cosmetic pesticide on residential properties unless applied by an accredited pest management applicator through the Plant Health B.C program. Accredited applicators would also be required to post signs 24 hours prior to a pesticide application and leave signs up for 48 hours afterwards. Diane Czyzewski, the self-proclaimed “pesticide lady” who has been fighting for a total ban, suggested companies will still do what they want even with the bylaw in place. She said the simple solution is to force companies to use pesticides that don’t contain toxins. “It would make everybody happy. It would be a healthier environment,”

Tom Broad, with Bugs-Gon Pest Control, isn’t thrilled with the signage requirement, maintaining it will mean an extra 8,400 trips to client properties. He also argued the industry is already adequately controlled and regulated through the Integrated Pest Management Act. Meanwhile, the new bylaw will not include a pesticide-sensitivity directory. The directory would have prohibited the application of pesticides on properties adjoining land whose residents are confirmed by a physician to suffer from pesticide sensitivity. The city’s lawyers advised against the directory, citing “significant legal consequences.” Essentially, the directory would raise the expectations the city is taking responsibility for the health of individuals by controlling neighbours’ pesticide use, which it has no means to do. Kelowna has a voluntary pesticide-sensitivity directory, but it is not enforced by the city. Councillors Marg Spina, Nancy Bepple and Denis Walsh pushed for a voluntary directory. Walsh said it’s council’s job to provide safety to residents and a sensitivity directory would help do that. “That’s the problem I have with the recommendation,” he said.The bylaw, if adopted, will take effect on April 1, 2010.